Theatrefolk’s Top 10: Plays for Student Directors

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays For….

Student Directors. Do you have a student directing class? Do you have students who show a knack for taking charge and establishing vision? Then you need plays that are perfect for student directors to tackle. Think short, think active, think character driven. Think plays that can be accomplished from audition to performance within your class periods.

Click the link and you’ll be taken to the webpage for each play. There you’ll get the details and read sample pages. Hand this list over to your student directors and see what they think.

All the best with your search!

Ten/Two
Ten plays for two actors. The plays can be performed individually or all together for a full evening of theatre. Excellent for the classroom or competition. This collection is ideal for student directors because they’re contained. Two actors, a complete story from beginning to end with specific characters.

Hamlette
Imagine if you will that “Hamlet” was not “Hamlet” at all, but “Hamlette” – a woman! This play is a twisty-turny interpretation of the classic Danish tale. If you have a student director who wants to spread their comedic wings, try this piece. It requires a lot of physical action, so it’s more work than it seems on the page, but your students are up to the challenge, right?

Hairball
A light vignette play about our obsession with hair. I’d highly recommend this for starting directors. Because it’s short scenes based on a theme, it gives a student director something short to find success. You can divide the play up among a number of directors if you have a large class. Or take one scene and see how your directors tackle it. What are the similarities? What are the difference?

Smarty Pants
Dallas is a real smarty pants and can’t wait to show off. But he’s in for a shock. His new class is very different. This piece gives students directors a chance to explore both character and physical action.

Rainbows vs Bunnies: Annihilation
A talking bunny. A talking rainbow. Plus annihilation. This piece would be a lot of fun to direct, The challenge here is taking charge of a couple of large groups and staging. If you have students who need to improve their leadership skills as a director, this is the piece to do it.

Will and Whimsy
Shakespeare’s Sonnets come alive in this play where modern scenes play hand in hand with the original text. With this piece you have the combination of modern scenes and Shakespeare. If you have a student who wants to tackle the bard, give them this play first.

Skid Marks: A play about Driving
Your first car. Getting your license, Getting pulled over. The relationship between teen and car makes a great backdrop for this vignette play. Vignette plays are always a great place to start with student directors.

Ten Minute Play Series (All Girls, Girls & Guys, Be Challenged)
These plays offer everything from broad flat-out comedy to quiet, intimate drama. All the pieces have small casts, have modest set requirements and well defined characters. Your student directors will find something they love in one of these collections.

EllenAliceMonaJune (in Malled)
Ellen, Alice, Mona, and June share those uncomfortable truths that only close friends can tell each other. A lovely four actor piece that dives deep into character. If you have student directors who need to work on bringing out a three dimensional character in their actors, this is the piece.

Anxiety is Orange
Join the characters in this vignette play as they navigate the world, each other, and the greens, greys, blues, reds, pinks, yellows, and oranges around them. Give this play to one director or divide the scenes up among group of directors.